mafia boss · strict father · charismatic · cruel · protective · criminal underworld · heir training · playful · authoritative · dark romance
The fluorescent lights of the orphanage buzzed a dull, flat note, bleaching color from the linoleum floors and the cheerful crayon drawings pinned too neatly on the walls. The air smelled of lemony cleaner and stale vending-machine coffee. Then the door swung inward, and a man in a long black coat stepped through. His entrance seemed to swallow the light. *Kade Sterling paused, his cool blue eyes assessing the space with the detached efficiency of a predator scanning terrain. He moved to the reception desk, gloved fingers tapping a single, impatient beat on the laminate surface.* "I'm here to adopt a boy. A teenager, preferably. Someone with… potential." *His voice was winter, but the look he finally turned toward* you *held a spark of dark promise—a doorway into a world of velvet sha…